New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-18
(" Amt HANNAH"

omple scope for every kind OF usei -. ,,oors
was when I was the spollt chiio OIL IL, DiO was
We, We hurr;ed on and the bright promise was
.ar,v ninpcd i'm the bud by the death OF ni9 u."
parents. privileged to pass away within '"en'
four hours of each other. sbone
Az 7 left the churchyard where the sun shohe
softly down uron their undivided grasc' '" I'D
strove IN realize that benceforward those ruo a
49,. hearts wore sbarcrs in the glorious sun,
Chine of Eternal Day, looked into the co'o h -,
foce of NV eldest brother and Knew lhaU @o
dovs of sympathetic love In my oid nohc W." 80
ever and done with for me- hooer' ""o
unknd or unjust but sympathy was d qa ie W
utterly wanting in his compositon. anu - eth
Nv a.. and fair toward others, what ON earth
could others want more III ii'
would ask impatcnty. ,,
All we'll iustce is much; but love ana SYM
nathy what are they not worth III III ou' .t
from the highest lady in the land, whose syhpa.u,S
never fails in time OF need, do"h " oo -. nc
school-child who will spare few precious u ui''
~ COLO for the hungry robin in its PATH
NV other brothers and sisters were all marrieu
.rd scattered over the world, and Roberts elueso
children were but few years younger 'han in'
SELF the youngest of their fathers generation.
For some years lived on in the dear ola nome
and strove to be of what use L couiu. o ~n
scrubbed to make of me, am Douho 10 s'9'
and by degrees the family motto seemed 10 oe,
AUNT Hannah will do 1t. She wont niihu'
Did she mind? Sometimes think she diu
The Young ones were growing up, and TO them
nv few additional years constituted II not oiu
age, at least advanced middle age Ho Wv. ~
they think whilst their nimble feet whiried 10
Aunt Hannah's playing Il could play, ana ior
MANY reasons threw my heart into doing my cest
for their dance music)-lttle did they mink,
saw how my own shoes were twltching uhoer eiio
piano with longing to lie given chance vi
turn myself. c.,
One night / overheard slim young "u"
pia
But, say, won't your aunt be tired playing
so long?" ,o,aod
Edith. "She likes it,"
l bent my head over the piano and gulrcd down
the choke that almost overpowered me rs 1
steadily marked time in that valse tune OF many
memories Up before the eyes of my memory
rose that evening. seven years before upon whicn
my future life had seemed to hinge. l was twenty
then and had been for two years an inmate OIL
my hrothcr's homo L was twenty-seven now ana
WAS still considered too young to have home OF
NV own by my elder relations. too old for young
lady amusemcnts by the younger generauon.
So 1 steadily played on, and my thoughts fioated
away backwards TO that evening have hihted az
/ saw onoe n small, dark-haired girl, with
hazel eyes and far away look in them, and over
her bent a broad -Shou ldered, curly headed young
giant whose voice trembled as he said. God bless
you, darling little Hannah, will come tomorrow
and see Robert and you"
But oh, Mike, Nike why did you never come
never. never, and the next thing that l heard
was that you had gone to India the following
week, and the year after l heard that you were
married. And OH what had l DONE what had
done to deserve such blow this?
Had l misunderstood himp Good Heavens!
had shown that thought he loved me, and he
had meant nothing and taken fright, and done
the most merciful thing he could by vanishing
from out of my life?
Night and day wearied myself to think out
this agonizing puzzle Speak to Robert, l dared
not. What could he think of girl who had
admitted she loved some one, when the some one
had too clearly not wished for her lovep
Roberts wife was wrapped up in her babies
and on the only occasion on which had braced
my heart to ask her ad vice, had answered me
through the reigning infant Tell her sec
muttent be 'toopid and glum, my Iootseewootsee;
see mutt 'tum and play wiz 90, my precious,
muttent see?"
Henceforward fought my battle alone, and sub
sided into the long-suffering placid Aunt Hannah
who was supposed mot to mind" the dreary bits
Of employment which all the others shirked.
just when l had struck twenty-seven my rich
old godmother died, and to my surprise left me
q handsome slice Of her fortune, coupling with
1t the command that l should take her name In
place of my own. From Hannah Grey became
therefore, straightway Hannah Sinclair. With
my new name / furthermore asserted my indie
pendence, and set up for myself little house in
London. My dear old nurse took the lead in my
household. and the first night that / established
myself by my freside and started as
free lone woman, laid my head on her knees
and cried as il my heart would break. AlIsle
asked questions, but stroked my head in
silence. Some people blessed with an in
stinctive sympathy and tact. My dear old Ailsie
was ono of them. We never once alluded TO that
evening In all the long years we spent together;
but somehow / think she had grasped more
than ever guessed.
BY degrees my little home became the useful
rendezvous of all the family. My hall was
many time filled with forbidding looking fe-
males all unsummoned by me- but "come by
appointment to see Mrs. Grey about the cooks
place, num- and presently cab would pull
up with a jerk and my sster-in-law would hustle
In dropping brown paper parcels from her arms
So sorry, dear, had no time to write, as baby's
teeth bothered him So but knew you wouldn't
mind" Hardly any of the MISUNDERSTANDING
women ever answered. so the same ceremony
was repeated many a time.
/ did not mind the women much. but the
out OF place men servants, ! own, were q Trial
to me. Frenchmcn, Italians, Germans, IrIsbmen,
ell and sundry. They stood in rows. blocking up
my little hall, and had been summoned by my
niece Edith, to whom her mother had In most
cases thrown the Morning Post" and heap
of half penny cards. saying, write to any
likely vnes, and tell them TO meet me tomorrow.
Auht Hannah won't mlnd and paby wants
me now"
That little trouble, however, was put an end
to in this wise. One of the men turned out to
have been notorious burglar, and an attempt
was made ON my house which failed, owing TO
the pr0mptltudc with which Aisie had struck
light in the basement, whilst the footman
locked himself securely in the pantry.
Robert was very kind about this, and per-
EN- toriy forbade any more appointments of the
kind being made He would sec all men COR.
wants at his own club In future.
So my life flowed evenly on for year or two,
and my nephews and Dieces came and went. and
my doors flew open TO them heartily
Aunt Hannah" said Bobby one day, as he
rushed In laden with enormous hamper. "you
won mind this standing here just while I'm
having ! luncheon, will your It's only badger
1, 'l1w has given me to take home. It's awfully
jolly If you'd like to have it out"
No, thanks" I answered, with my pocket
handkerchief TO my nose; we can stand the
hamper down In the area. 1t isn't exactly